I am about to attempt to design a chess set for the blind in 10 days as an experiment in showing a "live" product design process. I have to fit it in around so-called real design work, so it might be a bit erratic, but if you wish you can try and follow my progress here: http://duncanmckean....uct-in-10-days/

Hi, I'm Will Dempsey. Pretty new to this site, been looking through some of the pages and I am massively impressed by the standard. I am currently in my third year of a Materials Science and Engineering course at Manchester University. I have always been interested in design but did not really appreciate the scope for a career in it. in the last couple of years I have become aware of the array of jobs in it and am extremely keen to head in that direction. The course I am currently on does not allow for much/if any creative thinking and I don't think it will lead directly into a design career.

My question is, what would be the best move for me to eventually make my way into the product design career area? Would any companies take me on as an apprentice in design with just a Material Science Degree? Is the anything I can do to make myself more likely to be taken on by a company etc.?

Hi all!For my following question I'd like it if only professional active designers answered, I know this may sound harsh or like I'm being overly selective, but hear me out.

I'm studying design at University level in Sweden, right now we're taking courses involving "Materials Science & Engineering", "Production Engineering" etc. Now, this sounds fine, at least it did to me when I first found out we were taking these classes, but the professors go into such detail and down to atomic level, it feels more like I'm taking chemistry or advanced math/engineering than design. A few classes ago the professor was discussing "cutting angles of lathe blades". The only explanation to why we are taking courses that go into these subjects we've received is: "it's good for you to have an idea about these things". I do agree with this to some extent, but I'd rather put time into courses in 3D rendering, model building, advanced hand sketching/rendering etc. I might be approaching this all wrong, so that's why I'm posting this as a question to you active professionals out there: Do you as active designers calculate cutting angles, decide what kind of alloys to use, discuss what type of beams to use and what thickness the steel should be?

As I said, since I do not know how a designer in the field works nowadays, I'm asking you.

I like the idea for the chair, however i can't understand why your intending to aim it purely at students. An adjustable chair can be a useful tool for anyone who spends copious amounts of time sitting, you might want to rethink aiming this at a broader market.

I'll start off with the CV, and please, don't take this as harsh, it's intended to be advice in order for you to get a job The CV, is like reading an essay. Use bullet points, it breaks things up a bit, only highlight your key skills, skills which your future employer would want to see.

Through my time at university I have developed numerous skills. I have adapted my current skills to allow me to work efficiently either individually or as a member of a team in the design industry. I have learnt to manage multiple ongoing projects, which has helped me to manage my time effectively. Since sixth form I have been passionate and have a positive work ethic for product design, I am keen to improve on my current skills which I believe would be beneficial in many ways. I have good time management and pride myself on being able to keep too a deadline whilst ensuring my work is at a high standard.

This paragraph is very, generic. I know you went to university, you've told me You want this to be no more than 4 lines, telling me what skills you have and what you can offer me. Tell me if you have those mechanical skills, concept skills etc. Tell me about your design skills, time keeping and being passionate I can get from reading through your CV and looking at your portfolio.

Your a designer, maybe try a new approach and think outside the business box. Think outside what is normal for a CV. You have 8 seconds to get someones attention, or it is going in the bin/not being printed out. The role I am in currently, someone sent a CV similar to that (wasn't yours) and because we couldn't find the skills we wasn't interested.

I have done a quick Google search to bring up some other design CVs, have a look at them, and take ideas from them to make your CV more snappy and jumpy!

It will be harder to get a well paid job. Typically graduates can expect higher wages. A degree just basically ticks a box. Though in general, i have found that people never look at my results and are more interested in the portfolio. If you have a great portfolio then it will help you a lot.

If finishing uni isnt an option maybe you could aim for certification of software skills.

It might be a bit abrupt to ask, but what caused you to fail? What elements of the course do you love/hate?
Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses so that you can focus on what you are good at and market yourself better.

Once I enter the page, the icons for creation, projects, and personalia are a bit ambiguous.
They all look the same, and they remind me of trashcans... or a bird.

Click on creations, your text is "justified," this looks odd, what was your reasoning behind this?
I dont want to have to click on a blank box to see what the project is. And because it's blank, it looks like an error and the images aren't loading. I'm not really sure what brandmark means, which makes me wonder what the difference between the 3 sections are.

Theres alot of blue... not really feeling it. Its a bit frustrating that I need to click many times to actually get to see the content.

Think of it as a first draft and try again. If you are coding this yourself and aren't very good, try looking into free portfolio sites, theres alot out there. For example: carbonmade.com

Attached Images

Just wanted to show you guys my Body armour project which i called... Evo "falcon". This project was a mixture of my branding and product design capabilities, its been a while since i finished it but itd be nice to get some thoughts, ideas and comments

I started off with a brand name which I called EVO Equipment, the idea being that EVO creates revolutionary sports gear that is versatile and high tech. The idea came for the armour was a mixture of car air bag tech and how it could be integrated into motor cycle jackets, then i went a bit further and thought well if you made it light enough and flexible it could be used in any sport situation and so the EVO falcon body armour was born...

The idea is that when a high impact is detected on the surface of the armour, the braces around the front that surround the chest and back inflate. Air.. Co2, shoots from a cannister behind the wearer into the bags inflating them instantly. I wanted to be realistic in the sense that there is only certain size CO2 bottle that a person could carry whilst doing sports and the size of the airbags and that there had to be as little restriction to movement as possible, so there are gaps in the armour before the bags inflate but after were looking at full body protection.

anyways thats the idea...i didnt want to spend too much time creating the armour in a 3d package so i rendered them up in PS, i might 3d it up soon if i get time...

Florida doesn't have much to offer (The Fort Lauderdale program is still very young) but consider schools like SCAD, Georgia Tech and Auburn. All are within a reasonable driving distance and have very solid programs. If you want to venture further there are plenty of other schools worthy of consideration.

Transferring credits isn't always a great idea. The main reason being the foundation of design typically involves taking studio courses which are very intensive and you usually can't take more than 1 per semester. Because of this, even if you took all of your liberal arts classes at a community college, while you could transfer credits it wouldn't necessarily cost less or save you time, because you'll still need to spend 4 years to get your degree. I would speak with your guidance counsellor or give the admissions offices at some schools a call to find out what your best option would be.

If you think affording it is a problem, then there are always loans (or joining the military and using the GI bill to pay for school). I went to Virginia Tech specifically because the tuition price was nearly half of that at most private schools.

hi everybodyi would like to show some my car sketches...i love cars and i would like to be a car designer on the future ...of course thats only my dreams:d...but dreams sometimes fulfill....soooo why not?

of course i dont have professional experience....this projects are only my indyvidual ideas:)